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F1 Testing: Magnussen finds 2017 Haas F1 car physically 'tough'

Kevin Magnussen says that the new-spec Formula 1 cars for 2017 are physically "tough" following his first lengthy test with Haas this week.

Magnussen made his first public appearance as a Haas driver on Monday in Barcelona, completing two days of running in the VF-17 car.

All F1 cars are much quicker and more aggressive to drive in 2017 following an overhaul of the technical regulations, forcing drivers to focus on fitness and strength through the winter.

Magnussen was one of the few drivers to complete two days straight in the car in Barcelona, and admitted that he was feeling the strain afterwards.

"Yeah it's tough. Especially I found under braking it's pretty hard on your neck," Magnussen said.

"But I got through it, and it's good to know where we need to work on."

When asked if he was fit enough, Magnussen said: "Yes, absolutely."

The Dane joined Haas over the winter after a one-year stint with Renault, and has been impressed by the sophomore operation from all of his experiences so far.

"It's a really well organised team," Magnussen said. "We have a good bunch of guys here, good engineers, designers, and Dallara is doing a good job. Really, really, really impressed with them. They stepped up their game.

"I wasn't here last year obviously so I can't tell really how they did then, but you know the job they've done this year with the quality of the car and the component and the chassis is very nice."

Magnussen is also pleased by the first impressions he has felt from the Haas car, and said that the team has found a good direction to go in over the remainder of the testing period.

"It feels very good," Magnussen said of the car. "The work we've done so far has paid off, we've got a direction in which we need to work, and we're happy with the progress we've made so far.

"Of course we would've liked to have more laps yesterday but if you think about how small this team is, and the resources, it's not bad what we've done these two days."

Zdroj: crash.net